Page 155 of Cruel Legacy

“Or what?”

“Or you’ll find out what really happens to people like you at this school.”

“Girl people, or poor people?”

“You’re not really poor, are you, Anotèa Hughes?”

“That’s not my name.”

“Your birth certificate. Yourrealbirth certificate says it is. You’re already at this school under false pretenses. Nobody else has to know, but if you’re still here three days from now, it will become public knowledge. And don’t think, for one second, that Finn’s gonna jump in and save you. I think he’s made it clear how he really feels about you.”

He turns to go back into this room. “Three days.” He says before the door clicks shut. I make the mistake of looking at Holden. His face is a block of unworked marble. Cold. Detached. Empty. He says his first set of words to me without me speaking first.

“You never should have come here. Be smart, and leave on your own, while you still can.”

Chapter66

Pax

My eyes are burning and I feel a headache coming on. It’s because I’m sitting here trying to read this textbook without my glasses. I hate those things, but I need them to read tiny words on a page.

A thud hits the wall behind me. Finn’s been tossing his knives all damn day. I know he’s working through some shit. He annihilated that girl. It was some of his best work, but he’s still gotta deal with the fact that he let her get close enough to be a threat to us. We all have to deal with that. If I would have pushed Holden to find answers, gotten permission for us to dig into the aunt and uncle sooner, we could have avoided the weeks we wasted.

This was an off-the-books mission, so at least we don’t have to explain to anyone what took us so long. When my father briefs the league, they’ll be singing our praises.

I pick up my phone. Still no response. I texted him days ago to let him know we finally got answers. I know he’s on a business trip, and he rarely answers texts from home unless there’s an emergency issue only he can deal with. That hardly ever happens. But considering how pressed he was about this, I expected him to take a minute to text back. I’m not expecting a pat on the head or praise, just a simple acknowledgement that he even got my text.

I click over to the group chat.

Me

Dinner?

Finn's response is immediate.

Finn

Not hungry.

Holden’s always the voice of reason, says,

Holden

It’s not about being hungry. We’re days away from Mayhem Night. We have to show.

For six days, we rile the campus up, our pranks putting everyone on edge, and we let loose on Mayhem Night. It’ll look bad if we’re MIA this close to the end of pledge season. Plus, I want Thea squirming in her seat every time she sees or hears a whisper about us. I want to watch her crumble under the threat that I’ll expose her secret to the entire campus.

Many people want to join The League, but they know it’s damn near impossible to do so. Still, they pay their dues, and do what’s needed, finding ways to make themselves invaluable.

Thea wasn’t here to join us; she wanted to tear us apart. Mess with people’s families and positions within our world. If the guardians find out, therewillbe an even bigger target on her head..

I make a quick trip to the bathroom to put some drops in my eyes, then snag my key off the table, and head next door to drag Finn out of his room. He’s already dressed, sitting on his couch when I walk in.

“I’ve got a bad feeling, man.” He says in greeting.

“You always have a bad feeling leading up to Mayhem Night. We’re good. Holden’s good, and as long as nobody takes things too far, we have nothing to worry about.”

He barks out a dry laugh. “With the shit that happens, how far is too far?”

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